Flip Tray

ABSTRACT

A flip tray is provided that includes a transparent, compartmentalized container body and a flexible sealing sheet sealed to partition walls and to the peripheral rim of the compartmentalized container body. Plant material with active respiratory activity such as fruits and vegetables are disposed in the compartments of the transparent container body. Each of the compartments exchanges respiratory gases through the micro-perforated sealing sheet individually in a controlled manner. A tray having a completely flat bottom is secured to the container body so as to underlie the flexible sealing sheet and includes peripheral vent conformations.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Pre-packaged platters comprised of a container body and a cover tray arewell known and offered for consumer purchase after having beenpre-filled with fresh fruits and/or vegetables, and often a dippingsauce.

Typical such platters are comprised of a container body for receivingthe various fruits and/or vegetables, a transparent polymeric sheetwhich is sealed to the container body and a cover tray which is placedover the sealing sheet. The cover tray is typically provided to protectthe transparent polymeric sheet from disruption or a puncture prior topurchase.

Some prior art platters are offered with an opaque container body andtransparent cover tray for viewing the contents of the container body.Other platters are the reverse, having a transparent container body andopaque cover tray so that the prepackaged fruits and vegetables can bemore fully visualized. Some platters have both a clear container bodyand cover tray.

An example prior art platter is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,083,818.The illustrated platter is comprised of a container body havingcompartments defined by removable partitions and the sealing sheet issecured to the peripheral edge of the container body. The container bodyis transparent and the cover tray is opaque, with the platter intendedto be displayed cover tray side down. The transparent sealing sheet ofthe '818 patent platter includes a so-called atmospheric control memberto control passage of oxygen and/or carbon dioxide, for example, intoand out of the sealed container body. Because the sealing sheet can bowunder the weight of the fruits/vegetables, container partitions and/ordip container, the '818 patent platter includes a plurality of ribsformed in the tray/cover to support the sealing sheet and to ensure thatair can circulate to and around the single atmosphere control member.

Another platter intended to be displayed cover tray side down, offeredby Foxy Fresh Vegetables, is in some respects similar to that of the'818 patent, but includes compartments integrally formed with thecontainer body. As in the '818 product, a single atmospheric controlmember is provided, although the atmospheric control member is providedon the container body rather than on the sealing sheet. Furthermore, thecompartments of the container body are all connected by channels so asto share a common atmosphere.

Disadvantageously, providing a single atmosphere control member and acommon atmosphere for the contained food stuffs, as in the abovedescribed products, means that all fruits/vegetables within thecontainer body have their ambient atmosphere controlled by the sameatmosphere control member. However, different fruits and vegetables havedifferent respiratory characteristics. Therefore, it would be desirableto isolate the various food stuffs and individually control the ambientatmosphere of the respective food stuffs.

The '818 platter is adapted to provide service of the containedfruits/vegetables by removing the cover tray, removing the sealingsheet, re-placing the cover tray, inverting the platter, and thenremoving the container body so that the fruits/vegetables and dip aresupported for consumption on the cover tray. Because of the plurality ofthe ribs provided to ensure air circulation to the atmosphere controlmember, however, disadvantageously, smaller vegetables such as snappeas, carrots, green beans and the like may fall between the ribs andmay be difficult for the consumer to retrieve and consume. Moreover,while the cover tray is apparently intended to aesthetically simulate aservice platter, ribs are not typically included in a service platterand thus may be considered aesthetically unappealing to the consumer.Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a platter having a covertray that aesthetically simulates a service platter while stillproviding desired air circulation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a flip tray wherein the various fruitsand/or vegetables have individual atmospheric control and/or wherein aircirculation to the compartments of the container is ensured withoutrequiring the provision of ribs in the cover tray. In this way, thefruits and vegetables may be maintained in more optimum atmosphericconditions to increase their shelf life beyond that available with priorart flip platters. Moreover, because ribs are not required to ensure aircirculation, the cover tray can have a completely flat bottom so thatthe cover tray has an appearance similar to service platters and istherefore aesthetically pleasing to the consumer.

Thus, the invention may be embodied in a flip tray comprising: atransparent, compartmentalized container body defining a plurality ofcompartments each having peripheral walls, and a continuous peripheralrim between and surrounding said compartments; a sealing sheet adheredto the continuous peripheral rim of the container body compartments; anda cover tray having a completely flat bottom, without any ribs orundulations, and peripheral conformations defining at least one ventopening.

The invention may also be embodied in a method of preparing a flip traycomprising: providing a container body comprised of a transparentpolymeric material defining a plurality of individual compartments and acontinuous rib between and peripherally of the compartments, placing thecontainer body on a work surface with compartments opening up, placingfood stuffs in at least some of the compartments, sealing a sealingsheet to the rim of the container body so that the individualcompartments are substantially sealed and the seal is substantiallycontinuous along the rim; providing a cover tray having a completelyflat bottom without any ribs or undulations; placing the cover tray overthe sealing sheet and securing the cover tray to the container body; andturning the assembled container body and cover tray over so that thecover tray side is down, so that the food stuffs rest on the sealingsheet and the sealing sheet is supported by being adhered to thecontinuous rim, whereby the flip tray is displayed for sale in a displayorientation wherein the food stuffs are viewed through the containerbody walls.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other objects and advantages of this invention, will be morecompletely understood and appreciated by careful study of the followingmore detailed description of the presently preferred exemplaryembodiments of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first example embodiment of a fliptray embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the embodiment of FIG. 2;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an end view of the embodiment of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view from below of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 2, withmembrane omitted for ease of illustration;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 8-8 of FIG. 2, withmembrane omitted for ease of illustration;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a second example embodiment of a fliptray embodying the invention;

FIG. 10 is a side elevation view of the embodiment of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a top plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 9;

FIG. 12 is a bottom plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 9;

FIG. 13 is a bottom perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 9;

FIG. 14 is an end view of the embodiment of FIG. 9;

FIG. 15 is a schematic illustration of an example of a respirationmicro-perforation pattern for the embodiment of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 16 is a schematic illustration of a respiration micro-perforationpattern for the embodiment of FIG. 9.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides a flip tray that includes a transparent,compartmentalized container body, a sealing sheet sealed peripherally ofeach of the compartments of the container body to define substantiallyindependent compartments and a cover tray which may be opaque ortransparent, but in a presently preferred exampled body is opaque, suchas black. Two example embodiments of container bodies are described andillustrated herein, one of which is a so-called 40 oz platter, having anet weight of about 40 oz (FIGS. 1-8); and the other of which is aso-called 18 oz platter, having a net weight of about 18 oz (FIGS.9-14). It is to be understood, however, that flip trays having volumesgreater than, smaller than, or some where between the two exampleembodiments may be provided. Further, the number and configuration ofcompartments is not limited to the illustrated example embodiments,although the illustrated example embodiments provide a number and sizeof compartments that is suitable for packaging a desirable number andvariety of food stuffs.

As understood in particular from FIGS. 1, 3, 9 and 11, the containerbody 12,112 provided according to an example embodiment of the inventionprovides a plurality of discrete compartments each having respectiveperipheral walls. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, four corner compartments14, two side compartments 16 and a central compartment 18, which mayaccommodate a dip container, are defined by the peripheral walls. In theembodiment of FIG. 9, again four corner compartments 114 are defined,one discrete side compartment 116A and a second side compartment 116Bthat shares a peripheral wall with the central dip receiving portion.

As a consequence of the upstanding peripheral walls of the compartments,as best illustrated in FIGS. 3, 11, 14 and 15, a peripheral rim surface20,120 (the underside of which is identified by reference 22 in FIG. 3and reference 122 in FIG. 11) is defined on the cover tray side of thecontainer body (FIGS. 14,15). In the illustrated example embodiments,the rim surfaces 20,120 are continuous flat surfaces to which a sheet offlexible polymeric material 24,124 can be sealed to create a pluralityof sealed compartments corresponding to each of the discretecompartments of the container body 12,112. The sealing sheet 24,124 maybe heat sealed to the continuous rim 20,120 or may be sealed withbiocompatible glue or by spot welding, for example. It is preferred thatthe adherence of the sealing sheet to the rim be continuous orsubstantially continuous, that is, sufficiently continuous to largelyisolate the compartments from one another. It is evident that the morecontinuous the seal provided, the more isolated each of the respectivecompartments will be from one another, so that their internal atmospherecan be individually controlled. Adherence of the sealing sheet about thevarious compartments has the further advantage that the sealing sheet isheld so that it is predominantly spaced from the cover tray when theassembled tray is disposed cover tray side down. This allows for aircirculation in the space between the sealing sheet and the cover tray,as discussed more fully below. Spaced adherence points may be sufficientto support the sealing sheet for air circulation to the atmosphericcontrol provided for the individual compartments, but may not completelyisolate the respective compartments from one another and thereforewhether adherence is continuous, substantially continuous, or spaced maybe determined by the particular contents of the container and/or by themanufacturer.

As noted above, each of the sealed compartments formed by the containerbody and sealing sheet is preferably individually atmosphere controlled.As such, each compartment is provided with its own atmosphere control.Atmosphere control may be provided through the use of a so-calledatmosphere control member or by a controlled size and number ofperforations, more specifically micro-perforations, in the sealing sheetor in the container body. Where the atmosphere is controlled by anatmosphere control member, this refers to any member that modifies therates at which oxygen and carbon dioxide pass into and out of the sealedpackage. Such atmosphere control members are well known in the art asdescribed for example in U.S. Pat. No. 6,376,032, WO 00/004787 and U.S.Pat. No. 7,083,818, the disclosures of each of which are incorporatedherein by this reference.

Alternatively, and more preferably, as noted above, in an exampleembodiment of the invention, atmosphere control is provided bymicro-perforations, most preferably in the sealing sheet that is adheredto the continuous rim of the container body. When performing themodified atmosphere packaging designed to fulfill the required oxygentransmission rate (OTR) of each individual compartment, it is possibleto take advantage of the wide range of micro-perforation sizes. Lasermicro-perforation sizes for film used with fruits and/or vegetables cango from 75 microns to 250 microns. Also, whatever size ofmicro-perforation is selected, the number of micro-perforations in thefilm area corresponding to each individual compartment may slightly varyto accommodate the physiological changes of each vegetable brought up bychanges in the growing season. In other words, vegetables are continuingliving entities that require adjustment and modification of theirsurrounding atmosphere to control their respiratory rate andconsequently extend their shelf life.

FIGS. 15 and 16 illustrate example micro-perforation patterns. In theillustrated example embodiments the perforations are lasermicro-perforations having a diameter of 105 microns. As noted above,however, the micro-perforations may range from about 75 to about 250microns. In the example embodiment of FIG. 15, for a 40 oz tray of thetype illustrated in FIGS. 1-8, a corner compartment 14A for carrots hastwo perforations 26, in this example spaced one inch apart. Thediametrically opposite corner 14B, also provided for carrots in thisexample, also has two perforations 26, but in this instance spaced 1.5inches apart. An example corner compartment 14C for tomatoes, such ascherry tomatoes, has three perforations 26 provided at 0.5 inch spacing,whereas the diametrically opposite corner compartment 14D, provided inthis example for broccoli, has six perforations 26 with 0.5 inchspacing. Finally, in the side compartments, a celery side compartment16A in this example embodiment has a single perforation 26 whereas asnap pea compartment 16B has six perforations 26, again at 0.5 inchspacing.

In the alternative example of FIG. 16, for a 18 oz flip tray of the typeillustrated in FIGS. 9-14, the corner compartments 114A,B for carrotseach include a single perforation 126, a corner compartment 114C fortomatoes has two perforations 126 spaced 1 inch apart and the othercorner container 114D, for broccoli, includes three perforations 126 ata 0.5 inch perforation spacing. A snap pea side compartment 116A hasthree perforations, again at 0.5 inch spacing. Finally, a sidecompartment 116B for celery has a single perforation 126. From theseillustrated examples, it can be seen that the number ofmicro-perforations is related to the type vegetable as well as the sizeof the respective compartment, so that in general, twice as manyrespiration perforations are required for the larger tray of FIG. 1,which is approximately twice the size of the tray of FIG. 9, but evenfor vegetables requiring less ventilation, such as celery, at least onemicro-perforation is provided.

Although example spacings for the micro-perforations in the film areaover each atmosphere controlled compartment have been described above,those spacings can be varied depending on the number ofmicro-perforations and optimal distribution judged by the packagingdesigner without departing from this invention.

As will be understood from the foregoing and the illustrations, thecontainer body is preferably formed by molding, for examplethermo-forming a suitable polymeric material, such as polyethylene, sothat the compartment bases, peripheral walls and continuous rim areparts of a unitary body. Although in the illustrated example embodimentsthe container body is generally rectangular, it is to be understood thatthe container body may be of any convenient shape, for example,rectangular, square, or round. The depth of the container body can befor example about 1 to 4 inches, more specifically, about 1.25 to 2.5inches. The circumference can be, for example, about 20 to 100 inches ormore specifically about 25 to 70 inches. The peripheral rim to which thesealing sheet is adhered preferably has a width of at least about 0.125inches, more preferably on the order of about 0.19 inches ( 3/16 inches)to 0.4 inches, and most preferably about 0.25 inches. The container bodyis preferably shaped so that a plurality of container bodies can bestacked and nested together with little or no space between them foreconomic storage before filling with food stuffs.

The cover tray 30,130 is constructed so that the consumer can pick upthe cover tray with the sealed container on it and so that the covertray 30,130 protects the sealing sheet 24,124 during handling of theflip tray 10,110. In an example embodiment, the cover tray 30,130 ismade by thermo-forming or otherwise molding a suitable polymericmaterial, such as polyethylene. As illustrated, the cover tray has acompletely flat bottom 40,140, without any ribs or undulations, forhaving the appearance of a service platter and so as to be free ofcrevices which may capture food stuffs.

About the periphery of the cover tray are peripheral conformationsdefining a peripheral lip or lift 44,144 and vents 42,142. Morespecifically, a lift 44,144 is defined peripherally of the tray forengaging the peripheral rim 20,120 of the container body 12,112 when thecover tray is attached to the container body. At spaced locations aboutthe cover tray 30,130 the vents extend through the lift 44,144. In thepresent embodiments, the vents allow for the passage of air to the areabetween the cover tray 30,130 and the sealing 24,124 sheet. In thisregard, as mentioned above, the sealing sheet (not illustrated in FIGS.7-8) is adhered to the peripheral rim 20,120 about the variouscompartments. As a consequence, when the tray is disposed cover trayside down, the sealing sheet is effectively held up off the flat bottom40,140 of the cover tray so as to define a space between the sealingsheet and the cover tray. Consequently air can pass through the vents42,142 from ambient atmosphere to the space between the sealing sheetand cover tray and to the atmosphere control provided for the respectivecompartments of the tray, and vice versa.

Referring again to the configuration of the cover tray, at the fourcorners of the cover tray locking grooves 46,146 are provided forreceiving complimentary protections of the container body 12,112 todetachably secure the container body and cover tray together. It is tobe understood that as an alternative, the cover tray may defineprojections projecting radially inwardly to engage respective grooves inthe container body.

The food products that may be provided in the container body in exampleembodiments of the invention may be of any kind but the invention isparticularly adapted for receiving respirating food stuffs such as freshvegetables or fresh fruits. In the alternative, however, other foodproducts such as meats, cheeses, nuts, pretzels, and/or other snackfoods may be provided in the respective compartments. In such a case, itis preferable that the individual compartments be sealed without anyatmosphere control.

As will be understood from the product description above, to fill anddisplay a package according to an example embodiment of the invention, acontainer body comprised of a transparent polymeric material defining aplurality of individual compartments and a continuous rib between andperipherally of the compartments is provided. The container is placed ona work surface with compartments opening up and food stuffs or othermaterials are placed in at least some of the compartments. A sealingsheet is sealed to the rim of the container body so that the individualcompartments are substantially sealed and the seal is substantiallycontinuous along the rim. Then, a cover tray having a completely flatbottom without any ribs or undulations is placed over the sealing sheetand secured to the container body. The assembled container body andcover tray is then flipped so that the cover tray side is down, with thefood stuffs resting on the sealing sheet, and the sealing sheet issupported by the adherence to the continuous rim, whereby the flip traycan be displayed for sale in a display orientation wherein the foodstuffs are viewed through the container body walls.

While the invention has been described in connection with what ispresently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment,it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to thedisclosed embodiment, but on the contrary, is intended to cover variousmodifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit andscope of the appended claims.

1. A flip tray comprising: a transparent, compartmentalized containerbody defining a plurality of compartments each having peripheral walls,and a continuous peripheral rim between and surrounding saidcompartments; a sealing sheet adhered to the continuous peripheral rimof the container body compartments; and a cover tray having a completelyflat bottom, without any ribs or undulations, and peripheralconformations defining at least one vent opening.
 2. A flip tray as inclaim 1, wherein at least one of the container body and the cover trayincludes a groove and the other of the container body and cover trayincludes a corresponding protrusion for releasably locking the covertray and the container body to one another.
 3. A flip tray as in claim2, wherein a groove and corresponding protrusion are provided at eachcorner of the container body and cover tray.
 4. A flip tray as in claim1, wherein the sealing sheet includes at least one micro-perforationassociated with at least two of said discrete container compartments andwherein at least two of said container compartments have a differentnumber of micro-perforations from one another so as to provide differingatmosphere control as between said two compartments.
 5. A flip tray asin claim 1, wherein a mechanism is provided for controlling an internalatmosphere of at least one of said compartments.
 6. A flip tray as inclaim 5, wherein mechanism comprises a plurality of micro-perforationsin said sealing sheet and creating an opening to said compartment.
 7. Aflip tray as in claim 1, wherein the container body has a depth ofbetween about 1 and 4 inches.
 8. A flip tray as in claim 1, wherein thecontainer body has a circumference of between about 20 and 100 inches.9. A flip tray as in claim 1, wherein the continuous peripheral rim hasa width of at least about 0.125 inches.
 10. A flip tray as in claim 9,wherein the continuous peripheral rim has a width of at least about 0.25inches.
 11. A flip tray as in claim 1, wherein said cover tray isopaque.
 12. A method of preparing a flip tray comprising: providing acontainer body comprised of a transparent polymeric material defining aplurality of individual compartments and a continuous rib between andperipherally of the compartments, placing the container body on a worksurface with compartments opening up, placing food stuffs in at leastsome of the compartments, sealing a sealing sheet to the rim of thecontainer body so that the individual compartments are substantiallysealed and the seal is substantially continuous along the rim; providinga cover tray having a completely flat bottom without any ribs orundulations; placing the cover tray over the sealing sheet and securingthe cover tray to the container body; and turning the assembledcontainer body and cover tray over so that the cover tray side is down,so that the food stuffs rest on the sealing sheet and the sealing sheetis supported by being adhered to the continuous rim, whereby the fliptray is displayed for sale in a display orientation wherein the foodstuffs are viewed through the container body walls.
 13. A method as inclaim 12, wherein at least one of the container body and the cover trayincludes a groove and the other of the container body and cover trayincludes a corresponding protrusion and the cover tray is secured to thecontainer body by engaging said groove and protrusion.
 14. A method asin claim 13, wherein a groove and corresponding protrusion are providedat each corner of the container body and cover tray.
 15. A method as inclaim 12, wherein the sealing sheet is micro-perforated so as to have atleast one micro-perforation associated with each of at least two of saiddiscrete container compartments and wherein at least two of saidcontainer compartments have a different number of micro-perforationsfrom one another so as to provide differing atmosphere control asbetween said two compartments.
 16. A method as in claim 12, furthercomprising controlling an internal atmosphere of at least one of saidcompartments.
 17. A method as in claim 16, said atmosphere control isprovided by micro-perforating said sealing sheet.
 18. A method as inclaim 17, wherein said sealing sheet is micro-perforated with a laser.19. A method as in claim 12, wherein the container body has a depth ofbetween about 1 and 4 inches.
 20. A method as in claim 12, wherein saidcover tray is opaque.